Millions of people use the Internet or World Wide
Web because it is open to anyone. Unfortunately, there may be some people
who may use the Internet inappropriately or even criminally. There may
be inappropriate information and material on the Internet that can be harmful
to children. Therefore, it is important for parents to teach their children
to use the Internet safely.

Guidelines
for Parents

You should learn to use the Internet yourself. You
cannot effectively supervise your children's Internet use if you don't
know how to use it yourself.

Participate in your child's use of the Internet
so you can be aware of where your child goes online. You may need to steer
your child away from inappropriate sites or discuss disturbing information
on the Internet.

Make Internet use a family activity whenever possible.
Put the computer in the living room, kitchen, or family room so you can
keep an eye on your child's Internet use.

Encourage your child to share his or her Internet
experiences with you. If your child encounters something disturbing on
the Internet, he or she should feel comfortable about reporting it to you.

Monitor the amount of time your child spends online.
Excessive time on the Internet, especially late at night, may be a sign
of a potential problem.

Discuss with your child what topics on the Internet
that you consider off-limits. Set the rules for your child's Internet use.
Make sure your child knows the consequences for breaking these rules.

Remember that your teen is also vulnerable to online
predators. They are at risk because they often use the Internet unsupervised
and participate in chat rooms, e-mailing, and other online communications.
So don't forget to keep an eye on your teen's Internet use.

If you feel your situation warrants it, consider
parental control software or filtering software for your personal home
computer. Parental control software, such as CyberPatrol
(http://www.cyberpatrol.com), Cybersitter
(http://www.cybersitter.com), Net Nanny
(http://www.netnanny.com), and We-Blocker
(http://www.we-blocker.com), blocks access to web sites with content that
may be deemed inappropriate for children by the software company. The effectiveness
of these products varies since no filter can keep up with the daily growth
of Internet sites. Also, some filtering software may block your child from
accessing legitimate and helpful websites.

A
Note about Chat Rooms

Chat rooms are places on the Internet where you
can talk to other people on the Internet by typing messages online. Because
chat is in "real time" or "live," everyone who is in the chat room sees
your message as soon as you send it and can respond to your message just
as quickly. This is one of the most popular things for kids, especially
teens, to do online. Because they sign in with screen names, kids feel
comfortable talking with other kids in chat rooms. Sometimes they make
legitimate online friends with other kids who share similar interests or
hobbies.

Unfortunately, Internet predators are often lurking
in chat rooms. Using a screen name, they pretend to be a child or a teen
and try to become friends with kids that they feel may be vulnerable or
can be manipulated. A predator will try to get your child to reveal more
private information about him/herself, to ask your child to send a photograph,
to ask for a telephone number or address to make further contact, to meet
with your child, etc.

Remind your child or teen that any time he or she
feels uncomfortable about something on the Internet that he or she should
talk to you about it. If your child or teen receives pornographic or lewd
photographs on the Internet, you should be told. If you suspect that your
child has been contacted by an Internet predator, contact the authorities.
Childnet has a website that focuses on the dangers of chat rooms, "How
to Keep Safe in Chat Rooms" (http://www.chatdanger.com/) and the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children (http://www.ncmec.org/) has
several useful publications on Internet safety that you can download from
its website.

Rules for Safe Internet Use to Share with Your Child

Never given out personal information to someone
you meet on the Internet. Use only your first name when posting notes and
sending messages online. Do not share your home address, phone number,
age, race, school name or location, or friends' names.

Never share a password, even with friends.

Never agree to meet someone you meet online without
parental permission. When, and if, you do arrange a meeting, make it in
a public place and be accompanied by your parent.

Never respond to messages that you make you uneasy
or uncomfortable. Or, if someone is persistent about asking you for personal
information, ignore the sender, end the conversation, and let your parent
or an adult know about the occurrence.

Never respond to e-mails from people you don't know.
Many unsolicited e-mails contain sexually explicit or inappropriate messages.

Remember that people online may not be who they
say they are. Some people may misrepresent themselves online to encourage
you to continue to communicate with them, to try to get personal information
from you, or even to lure you into meeting them. A child predator will
try to become your "friend" by pretending to share your hobbies and interests
to gain your trust.

Remember that everything you read online may not
be true. For example, you may be told that you have won a prize and you
need to send your name and address to claim it. This may only be a trick
to get information from you.

Who Is Mary Green?

Here is an exercise on Online Safety to share with
your child. Click on the link to Mary Green
and see if you can guess who she is.

The Youth Internet Safety Survey, conducted by the
Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire
in 1999, found that one in 5 (19 percent) of the young Internet users surveyed
received an unwanted sexual solicitation in the past year. One in 33 youth
received an aggressive sexual solicitation in the past year, meaning a
child predator asked the young person to meet somewhere, called him/her
on the phone, and/or sent the child correspondence, money, or gifts through
the U.S. Postal Service. One in 4 youths had an unwanted exposure in the
past year to pictures of naked people or people having sex. One in 17 youths
was threatened or harassed in the past year. If you are interested in additional
information about Internet crimes, read "Internet Crimes Against Children,"
OVC Bulletin, May 2001, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice
Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, NCJ 184931.